• Approximately 1,500 black bears live in the national park.

    Great Smoky Mountains

    National Park NC,TN

Newfound Gap Road Landslide Update

Both lanes of road are washed out with a river of water running where the road used to be
NPS Photo

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Date: January 17, 2013
Contact: Public Affairs Office, 865-436-1207

***April 15, 2013 Update: Newfound Gap Road (US-441) has reopened.

The first assessment of the landslide which occurred in Great Smoky Mountains National Park along Newfound Gap Road in North Carolina shows that the landslide is approximately 90,000 cubic yards of material or 350-400 feet. It is around the length of a football field and 45-50 feet deep. The slide is still active and an assessment team, made up of Park Staff and Federal Highways employees, observed debris continuing to fall.

The park still does not have an estimated time frame for the road to be open. Federal Highways and park staff are continuing to look at the site to assess options for repair and is hoping to have a rough estimate of a sometime in the next week. Inclement weather is expected over the next few days which may hinder the assessment team.

Further updates on the road condition will follow as details are determined.

Did You Know?

Fall leaf colors are most vivid at low to mid elevations.

About 100 native tree species make their home in Great Smoky Mountains National Park—more than in all of northern Europe. The park also contains one of the largest blocks of old-growth temperate deciduous forest in North America.